Singapore in all of its diversity - Part 1 I (SINGAPORE)

At Merlion Park (a mythic creature which is half lion and half mermaid...just to be certain, it is the one with water gushing out of its mouth!)

This posting, which will probably require multiple parts, will include photos of my adventures of the last two days, including visits to Little India, Chinatown, Raffles Hotel, Merlion Park, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, as well as random photos which I took while riding on the upper deck of the tour bus.  The city is a melting pot of cultures.  I continue to be amazed by its natural physical beauty (humidity aside!) and its very evident affluence.  In my opinion, Singapore  is one of the major cities of the world.  If there is a shadow side to living in Singapore, I have yet to discover it.  Everyone seems to naturally get along in a very pleasant way.

A side street in Little India.

Don't let the empty street fool you.  To stay out of the sun, there are arcades in front of storers which run the length of each street.  Each arcade is filled with shoppers walking through the arcades with merchants hawking their wares on the inside sidewalks.

Coconuts for sale

Indian women must love gold jewelry.  There was a gold jewelry shop on every street corner and several shops in between each street.

Entrance to Hindu Temple in Little India.

One of the stops of the tour bus was The Flyer before going on to Chinatown.

Muslim Mosque in Chinatown.

Hindu Temple in Chinatown.

I started this posting last night in Singapore.  I am now finishing it from Bangkok.  I arrived here this morning.  I walked a little after lunch and took some photos which I will post after I finish with Singapore in Part 2.  It is the end of the night.  I just returned from dinner with a friend of Dr. John Constable who lives in Bangkok.  He showed me some of the sights by night.  It is a fascinating city, but more on Bangkok when I get to those postings.